Thanks to everyone who took a guess at the latest bird quiz: “Whose legs are these?”
The most popular response was the correct one so you’ve all been doing your homework (even in the summer).
Below is the answer. A longer post will follow soon regarding the differences between the legs of great and snowy egrets.
For now, here’s the answer …
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Blue Heron stands on a dock near the Norwalk River on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014.
Some try to stick out the New England winters and some fly south where it’s warmer. That can be said for several species of birds, but for this posting I’m talking about Great Blue Herons. The pictured bird was found earlier this week near Veterans Park in Norwalk, Conn.
It’s an interesting dilemma for the birds. What gives the better chance of survival? Sticking out a New England winter and subsisting on the small fish to be found, or risking the perils of migration and moving to a warmer climate? Both have their risks, of course. A particularly cold winter can spell doom for the herons that stay around. However, the risks Continue reading
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Blue Heron stands on a piling along the Norwalk River on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014.
I parked the car at work this morning (Tuesday, Oct. 14), looked to my right and there’s a Great Blue Heron standing on a piling a few dozen yards away. All days should start this way.
Coincidentally, I posted last night photos of a Great Blue Heron that I took during a recent trip to northern New Hampshire. Great Blue Herons are found throughout the U.S., and beyond. So, in consecutive days, here are photos of Great Blue Herons taken from the top to the bottom of New England.
Here’s one of the heron with South Norwalk (Conn.) as the background.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Blue Heron flies across the scene at a pond in northern New Hampshire, Oct. 2014.
Here’s a Great Blue Heron I found while I was canoeing on a small pond in northern New Hampshire during my recent trip to the “Great North Woods,” as the marketers have dubbed the area.
Many of the birds there had already moved south, but a few bird species were still around. I’ve already posted photos of Belted Kingfishers and Common Loons, and now here’s a heron. I have a few more to post before closing the books on my annual trip up north.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Blue Heron hunts on the shore of a pond in northern New Hampshire, Oct. 2014.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Green Heron in Darien, Conn., Nov. 2013.
Here’s a few Green Herons photos I got last November. That is late for a Green Heron. I’m posting now because my latest For the Birds column was about Green Herons and we are heading into fall. The universe seemed to be telling me to put a few more Green Heron photos out there.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Green Heron in Darien, Conn., Nov. 2013.
Photo by Chris Bosak
The back plumage of a green heron.
Green Heron’s often do not look green because the green is not a bright, neon green, but rather a dark muted green. Also, from a distance, which is where the bird is usually viewed, the bird looks more brownish or greenish-brown. I was lucky enough to photograph from a fairly close range one of these birds last week. Zooming in on the feathers on its back, here’s why it’s called a Green Heron. Of course, much of it depends on how the light is hitting the plumage.)
Here’s a full view of the bird.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Green Heron stalks a pond in Darien in this fall, 2014 photo.
Birds of New England.com 